Incoming DFA chief hits UN response to Duterte on killings
Incoming Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. on Friday responded to the United Nations after Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s apparent support for extrajudicial killings.
“I think if the secretary general is interested to really pursue this concern, he should have coursed it through government to government basis and probably would have inquired from the Philippine government what their position is in so far as these individual statements are concerned,” Yasay, the succeeding chief of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
On Monday, Ban slammed Duterte for his apparent support for extrajudicial and media killings.
“I unequivocally condemn his apparent endorsement of extrajudicial killings, which is illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms,” Ban said in a statement posted on the UN website.
Yasay said the statements of the incoming President on media killings was “taken out of context and misquoted.”
He believed that the UN chief should not have issued such statement.
“He should not have made this kind of statement in response to individual or private citizen statement,” he said.
“All I am saying is, until he becomes President of the Philippines and he has assumes office and he makes this kind of statement, only then can secretary general make the kind of comment he has made on the basis of what he fears as a policy statement coming from the Republic of the Philippines,” he added.
He said the UN chief has responded to “a statement made by a person who is not yet president.”
“All I am saying is that the secretary general has spoken and responded on an official capacity to a statement made by a person who is not yet president,” he said.
Yasay said Ban should have coursed his statements through the Philippine government.
“His reaction is made in his official capacity as the secretary general of the UN where the Philippines is an active member. He should course these statements through the Philippine government rather than respond to individual statements,” he said.
